… with comments

Doug Phillips: Man, Pracitce, and Ideology, 2

The primary function of Ministry Watchman is to expose Reformed leaders who refuse accountability, and to hold these leaders accountable for the resultant actions of abuse and tyranny. This seems consistent with their first post on Doug Phillips. My parituclar focus at this time emphasizes ideology over specific cases of accountability. As all would probably agree, the ideology of tyrants cannot be separated from the practice of tyranny, as I have just recently argued here. This has been seen clearly here at Christ Church, where Doug Wilson unceasingly fashions an enemy theology that protects and nourishes his own control of Christ Church and related ministries. In the same way, Doug Phillips cannot be sufficiently exposed without identifying the ideology supporting certain alleged acts of tyranny. Phillips clearly has many aggressive, counter-cultural teachings that defend and nourish hierarchy, severe subordination of women, and a cultish status of the father/patriarch. This seems clear enough just in my notes from a lecture I listened to a few years ago. I have posted these notes in their entirety already; what you find below is a highly abbreviated summary of these notes that I think support my claims about Phillips’ misogyny and culturally regressive ideology:

… he goes on to speak of the “economically viable, self-sufficient, agent for dominion,” which is the “family” unit—and clearly only the family unit….a clear theme throughout. … The only other support was Father Abraham, … note the nice fit between an Abrahamic cultural ‘religion’ and his thesis of the primacy of the family cult. …
… there is no other more effective situation to be in than the head of a family unit. This is the most “powerful” situation to be in—in transforming lives and influencing culture.
… Fathers of daughters are in the position to “be the most powerful influence in the church.” … to simply act as autonomous sources of sacrament and truth for the world: “light in the darkness” and “ministry to the world.” The family unit acting in society just is the redemptive function of the ‘church,’ …. More exegesis is thrown out to support this bold claim: Jethro and Moses. Jethro, a father, supplied a daughter for Moses to marry, and then behold, the redemption of 600,000 enslaved Israelites…
He mentions the “girl’s catalog”, and perhaps in conjunction with other books…that is to “fully equip women of God.” …
Phillips says that the “problem” from the “beginning of time” has always been the issue of leadership/submission and the toils of the curse (referring to the fall). … Phillips says that *God made* bareness a curse for women. … reading Patriarchic culture within Genesis into his American family cult.
Phillips says that most churches have “economies built on woman slave labor” who send their children off to … school. …
… women voting. The nineteenth amendment is classified as the revelation of the spirit of the devil, the same spirit of the French revolution. …
… Peter Marshall, the 1940s chaplain to senate, said that a godly wife was important and that this meant staying home. I have in my notes that Phillips has still not given us a single Pauline citation!
… Women should stay home so that the Word of God is not blasphemed. Therefore, women who do not stay home are blaspheming. …
Phillips talks about “family based evangelism.” …
Daughters must be “serving fathers” until married.
The only example in scripture, Phillips tells us, where a woman goes ‘unprotected’ she is raped in ‘judgment.’ (Dinah). …
A woman ministering is an “extension of the father’s ministry.” …
…the home is self-sufficient. He refers to Proverbs 31. …

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UPDATE (9/07): Mr. Metzler has again claimed that he supports open dialogue, and again he refusesto open his site to comments. I challenge him to do so.

Michael Metzler is the author of Pooh’s Think. He claims that he promotes open dialogue, but he blocks all comments on his blog. This blog was not for the webmaster to comment on Mr. Metzler’s behavior, but rather to allow anyone to comment.

This page consisted totally of Mr. Metzler’s own blog posts, republished here so that discussion can take place. Nothing was added or deleted. Comments are totally unmoderated and will stay that way. Pages will no longer be updated on a regular basis.